Paul Mehling – Learn To Play Django-Style Gypsy Jazz Guitar Volume 2 Soloing. They don’t call it “hot guitar” for nothing! The driving style pioneered by Django Reinhardt and other Gypsy players became one of the dominant sounds in jazz during the thirties and forties, and its influence is still strongly felt today. Paul Mehling knows the style as well as anyone, and he takes it apart in detail for the learning player.
A band won’t swing without a strong rhythm section, and the powerful guitar accompaniment that typifies the Gypsy style is the foundation of this terrific lesson.
Starting with basic four-to-the-bar comping and damping, Paul takes you through a variety of accompanyment ideas: arpeggios, “splayed” chords, “the gallop,” chord tremolo, right hand speed and other advanced techniques.
You’ll gain an understanding of the particular harmonic structures of this music through chord voicings, progressions, and accompaniments to classics such as “Minor Blues,” “Oriental Shuffle” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams.” Paul also provides invaluable advice on learning from recordings, use of the metronome, and a look at his rare Maurice DuPont guitars. Includes some hot jamming with Paul and Tony Mandraccia, rhythm guitar.
Gypsy Jazz is the popular term for the style of jazz music made famous by Django Reinhardt, who along with Stephane Grappelli formed the Hot Club of France in 1933.
Also known as “acoustic swing”, this instrumental music is infectous, and fun to play.
If you play acoustic guitar, you should familiarize yourself with Django’s music. Should you decide you would like to play in the style, but can’t find a suitable teacher, Paul’s video set is a good alternative to get you started.
Volume One is about playing rhythm, but in a bigger sense it gets to the core of the Gypsy Jazz technique, which focuses on a strong picking motion and fretting techniques, such as “choking” the strings to enable the hair-trigger response that is essential to this style. The video instruction format is excellent for this purpose, as it allows you see the arm and wrist action involved.
Volume Two is about soloing, and is essentially more a primer on jazz improvisation, but includes some good exercises to develop your technique. This video is not about learning 400 Django riffs, it is a study of how to tailor your guitar playing technique to adapt to the Gypsy Jazz style.